Lock nut



WWII

March 4, 1930. C. Q OLSON 1,749,600

LOCK NUT Filed July l1, 1928 lli Patented Mar. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES PAranr ortica CARL Gr. OLSON, Fv CHICAGO, ILLINGS, ASSIGNR T@ SHAKEPROOF 1300K WASHER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINGIS, A CRPORTIUN OF DELAWARE sppneauonniea my 1i,

My invention relates to lock nuts and particularly to annular lock nuts provided with marginal teeth for engaging the work.

An object of my invention is to provide a lock nut which may be formed from relatively thin, fiat stock and which may be conveniently applied to the threaded portion of a member, such as a conduit, so as to effectively secure said member and parts associated therewith against displacement.

Another object of my invention resides in the provision of a lock nut which is very light in construction and` yet which is cap-able of effectively securing parts in position upon a threaded member and which will not loosen, even though the parts are subjected to continued vibration.

Still further object of my invention is to provide an effectively operable lock nut which may be economically produced from iiat stock, as for example by stamping, said lock nut being adapted to be secured upon the threaded ortion of a member, the marginal portion o said nut being adapted for locking engagement with the work.

More speciiically, it is an object of my invention to provide a lock nut ofannular design having a plurality of oppositely disposed, twisted marginal teeth, said nut being adapted to be sprung into helical form to permit of. its convenient application uponj the threaded portion of a member, certain of the twisted marginal teeth serving to e'ectively interlock with the work and certain others thereof serving as means to facilitate the tightening of the nut.

, A still further object of my inventionis to provide an annular flat type lock nuthaving a plurality of mar inal twisted teeth', said nut being of such a esign that the user, 1n applying the same to the work, may selecta nut from ,an indiscriminately arranged supply thereof and very conveniently apply the nut to the work without regard to the relative position of the lateral surfaces thereof. J

Y These and other objects. will be apparent i from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the 'accompanying drawing wherein :Y

Figure 1 discloses a perspective view of an reas. semi are. estrae..

outlet box and associated conduits equipped with aloclr nut embodying features of my invention;

Figure 2 is a detailed perspective view of the lock nut shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 8 3 of Figure 1, the conduit and loclr nut being shown in elevation in order to more clearly illustrate the invention;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line- 4 4 of Figure 3, the conduit and locl nut being shown in section as distinguished from Figure 3 in order to more clearly illustrate the manner in which the lock nut straddles the threads of.

Vdisposed conduits 4 projecting within the box 2, Figure 1. The inner extremities of these conduits 4 are provided with a threaded portion 6 upon which I have shown a lock nut which is constructed in accordance with the lteachings of my invention and which I have designated generally by the numeral 8.

This lock nut 8 comprises an annular body portion 10 and a plurality of spaced marginal teeth 12. In order to permit the securing of the lock nut 8 upon the threaded portion 6 of the conduit, I provide a recess 14, Figure 2, within the body portionlD. By providing the recess 14, I enable the inner margin of the body 10 to straddle vthe threads of the conduit, as clearly shown in Figure 4, or in other words, permit the inner margin of the body to assume a helical form or con-l the body 10, as shown in Figure 3, in order to increase the locking efectiveness of the teeth with the work. In addition to being twisted,

alternate teeth are deflected outwardly in i.' one direction along the line of. juncture with the body portion 10, while the otherV alternate teeth are deilected in the o posite lateral direction. By these tornate teeth bent in opposite directions it will be seen that only hal of the total number of the teeth are emplo ed for lookin' gl e the work and such instancesyt dli-gteeth may be employed to facilitate-the tightening of the nut upon the threaded conduit. Thus a suitable Spanner wrench,` or other convenient tool such as a screw driver (not shown) may be used for g theseteeth to electively tilhtenthe nut in position.

In ad 'tion to providin means for gri pin the nut in a plying con uit, the ben o opposite directions enables either side of the nut to be applied to the conduit. Thus a worker in associating this type of a nut with a threaded member may select a nut from an indiscriminately a A d su ply thereof and apply the same to tiie wor without reto' which lateral surface ofthe nut is ing carried into association with the work. In other words, my be laced upon a thread and a lat sur ace without selecting one si e of the nut by reason of theA fact that both .sides thereof are symmetrical.

improvedlock -nut may or alternative form of lock nut indicated generally b the numeral 16. This nut in; cludes a bo ynplortion 10* and a pluralit'gf marginal loc g teeth or ro 12. e body portion 10is rovid wi a recess 14 which serves forJ e same purpose as the recess 14 just described inco ection with the lock nut'8. vIt, will be no that'the lock mit 16 diers from the nut 8 in that theteeth12arealldellectedinthesame direction out of the plane of the body 10. This e of lock nut is particularly ap licable in` instancesl where additional holding power or locking eect is desired. All of the this typeof lock nut will have greater-holdingtpower than 'the type in which only half of e total. number off teeth are employed to interlock with the work.-

From the foregoing it will be understood that my invention. ycontemplates the provision of a lock nut which is very in n'sive and ver simple in construction. t has man a vantages over types of lock nuts whic have heretofore been employed as for example in connectionwith the secu of electric conduits and the like in outlet boxes. Heretofore considerable ditliculty has been experienced v-in ti htening nuts upon the threaded portion o the conduit by reason of e same upon t e`y alternate teeth in Inrigure e I have disclosed a modified' teeth 12* interlock with the work and hencev the limited ace surroundin :the terminal ofkthe conduit within the out et box' for receivin prove device obviates these diiculties b reason of the deflection of alternate teetli which rmit of the convenient application of a suitable tightening tool. Another problem which my improved lock nut has overcome is that o f providing a locking device which will not loosen` in response to vibrations to which conduits, outlet boxes and devices of similar nature are subjected. When the lock nut is a plied to the thread member, the body thereo is s rung into helical shape and as the margina teeth are moved into locking engagement with-the wall of the outlet box, the inherent resiliency of the sprung lock nut material will cooperate with the actual locking effect of the teeth to positively prevent the loosening of the nut in response to any vibratiomto which the parts may be subjected. Although I have disclosedv a particular t e of apparatus for which my improved evice is articularly applicable, it will be understoodp that lock nuts of my 1mproved design may be used for numerous other purposes where an eective lockin device is required which is of simple an economical construction and which ma be secured or screwed in position in p aces which are diilcult to reach with the usual types of ti htening tools. Thus my invention provi es a lock nut of very practical desi which may be manufactured at a mimmum cost and which may be quickly and conveniently applied to the Work.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A lock nut comprising an annular body portion of flat stock, and a pillurality of m`arginal twisted teethfor loc 'ngly engaging the work, said body portion being adapte for application upon the threaded portion of an element tobe secured.

2. A lock nut comprising an annular body portion, and a plurality of mar 'nal teeth. certain of the teeth being dellecte out of the plane of the body rtion in one direction and certain other of t e teeth being deflected out of the plane of the body portion in the o posite direction, said bodyv portion being a apt-- a tightening wrench and my imlio ed to be tightened upon the threaded portion l of. an element to'be secured.

3. A lock nut comprising an annular body portion of flat stock and a plurality of marginal teeth,"`certain of the teeth'being deflect'A Y ed in one direction out of the plane of the, body portion and certain other of the teeth being deflected in the opposite direction out of the plane ofthe bodyp'ortion, thereb presenting a plurality of teeth for locking y engaging with the work, and a plurality of teeth which may be employed for tightening the nut upon a threaded member. y

4. An kannular lock nut comprised of fiat stock havin a plurality of external, twisted teeth for loc ingly en aging the work, the annular continuity of t e nut being broken to permit the same to assume a helical form in conformity with the helix of the thread upon which it is applied.

5. An annular lock nut comprised of flat stock having a plurality of marginal teeth for lockingly engaging the work, said-nut being adapted to be applied to a screw thread, .certain of the marginal teeth being deflected in one direction laterally of the body of the lock nut and certain others deflected in the opposite direction, both sides of the nut being symmetrical so as to permit either of said sides to be applied to a threaded member.

6. In an annular lock nut for applicationv to a threaded member, twisted locking teeth provided upon the periphery thereof deflected side-wise and twisted in a direction to a1- low the nut to be readily screwed and tightened upon the threaded member, the sharp corners of the teeth resulting from the twisting thereof being adapted to dig into the work in response to any tendency of the nut to unscrew, thereby effectively securing the same againstloosening.

7. In combination with a threaded member having an abutment associated therewith and an apertured element against which the abutment may be clamped, a lock nut com rising f an annular body portion of ,fiat stoc said body portion being recessed to permit the same to assume a helical form for applica# tion to said threaded member, and having a plurality of outer marginal teeth twisted out of the plane of said body portion, said teeth being adapted to lockingly engage the aper- 40 tured element so as to clamp said element b etween the abutment and said lock nut to thereby secure said element in a fixed position with respect to the threaded member. Y

8. In combination with an apertured element and a threaded member etending through said aperture which is provided with an abutment for engaging one side of said ele-` ment, a lock nut comprising an annular body portion of flat stock, said stock being coniigurated to enable the same to be screwed upon the threaded member regardless of the side of the nut which is advanced upon said member, said means being rovided with a plu rality of external margmal teeth twisted out of the plane of the body portion and ladapted to lockingly engage the side of the apertured member oppositely disposed from the side en- J gaged by said abutment. f l

In witness whereof, I havea hereunto sub- 50 scribed my name.

CARL G. OLSON. 

